Cellulose ethanol is one step closer. Ethanol can now be somewhat easily made from corn fibers, thanks to a process that uses mold and was discovered at Iowa State and announced last week. The fibers, created when producer make corn syrup, are often turned into animal feed. If they The discovery could boost ethanol production by about 4 percent (160 million gallons) a year, said Hans van Leeuwen, an Iowa State professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering in a press release.
Researchers hope to improve on their small-scale success, making more ethanol from the same amount of corn fibers and to test the mold on other byproducts of corn processing. The best part for the ethanol industry, van Leeuwen said in the press release that, "We're not using harsh chemicals, high temperatures, high pressure or expensive enzymes to do this."
[Source: Iowa State via The Energy Blog]
Researchers hope to improve on their small-scale success, making more ethanol from the same amount of corn fibers and to test the mold on other byproducts of corn processing. The best part for the ethanol industry, van Leeuwen said in the press release that, "We're not using harsh chemicals, high temperatures, high pressure or expensive enzymes to do this."
[Source: Iowa State via The Energy Blog]
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